In this activity, we will use two-part ratios in money sharing problems.

 

 

Example 1

A sum of money is shared in the ratio 2:3 between two people, A and B. 

If A gets £54, how much does B get?

 

Answer

A will have 2 bags of money and B will have 3 bags. Each bag holds an equal amount of money.

We need to work out how much money there is in each bag. 

2 bags contain £54.

 

We need to work out how much is in 1 bag.

Sum of money in 1 bag = £54 ÷ 2 = £27

 

B gets 3 bags of money, so that is: 3 × £27 = £81.

 

Example 2

A sum of money is shared in the ratio 3:5 between two people, A and B. 

If A gets £54, how much was shared in total?

 

Answer

A will have 3 bags of money and B will have 5 bags. Each bag holds an equal amount of money.

We need to work out how much money there is in 1 bag. 

3 bags contain £54.

Sum of money in 1 bag = £54 ÷ 3 = £18

 

In total, there are 3 + 5 = 8 bags of money, so that is: 8 × £18 = £144.

 

Let's move on to some questions now.